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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Edwards: no ‘awkwardness’ in coming back

Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards is excited to begin his second tour of duty with the team, and he said after practice today there are no problems between him and management, despite his tweet last week that the team’s decision-makers are “idiots.”
Edwards said he approached general manager Mike Tannenbaum in the cafeteria Wednesday.
“There actually wasn’t a moment of awkwardness,” Edwards said. “There could have been, but the kind of relationship that we developed when I was here was [an] open [one]. ... He was just as happy as me or so it seemed.”
Before being waived/injured by Seattle, Edwards had tweeted last week that the “idiots calling shots” with the Jets were responsible for mis-managing the development of quarterback Mark Sanchez. He later apologized.
“I didn’t have to apologize, but I chose to,” he said. “It was a statement made [in] the heat of the moment. But we’ve moved past that.”
He admitted being surprised the Jets claimed him off waivers Tuesday. “After the tweet, it was like, I burned that bridge.” More importantly, he believed the Jets had moved on when they chose not to pursue him this past off-season.
“So I moved on mentally,” he said.
He has only eight receptions for Seattle, and tweaked his hamstring in his final game with the Seahawks, on Dec. 2 at Chicago. Edwards was limited in the first practice of his second stint as a Jet, but believes he will be able to play Monday night at Tennessee.
“I definitely think I have a high probability of going Monday night,” he said.
“It’s great news,” Sanchez said of the re-acquisition of Edwards. “It’s exciting to have somebody like that back. We’re going to work him in slowly and hopefully get him ready to play. ... He’s one of those guys that knows how to run routes. He’s played for a long time, he understands coverages and he picks up things quickly. We’re excited to have him back and that will help the rest of the guys.”
Sanchez and Edwards had a good on-field chemistry when Edwards was a Jet in 2009 and 2010, and the wideout said that’s because they also were close off the field.
“Mark and I have stayed in touch since I left,” he said. “The big thing [is] we’re friends off the field. .... So we spent time together off the field. That rapport helps.”

Rex: Edwards will practice on limited basis

New Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards will practice on a limited basis today, coach Rex Ryan said today in his daily media briefing. Edwards was acquired by the Jets on Tuesday when they claimed him off waivers from Seattle. It will be his second tour of duty with the Jets, for whom he played in 2009-10 before leaving via free agency.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll told reporters Wednesday the Seahawks waived/injured Edwards because they believed a hamstring tweak would sideline him for the rest of the regular season. “Obviously, we felt different,” said Ryan, who added he is “optimistic” Edwards will play Monday at Tennessee. Edwards passed his physical with the Jets, Ryan said.
Wideouts Stephen Hill (knee) and Clyde Gates (concussion) won’t practice today, Ryan said. The coach also said RB Bilal Powell may have a fractured toe, but Ryan believes he will be able to play against the Titans.
Ryan also brushed aside the fact Edwards last week criticized the “idiots calling shots” in the Jets’ organization for their perceived mishandling of the development of quarterback Mark Sanchez. The coach joked that both he thinks general manager Mike Tannenbaum is the idiot, and Tannenbaum thinks Ryan is the idiot.
“I just like Braylon as a person and I like him as a player,” Ryan said. “There isn’t one guy in that locker room that is perfect.”
When asked about the perception created by a team acquiring a player who just ripped that team, Ryan brushed it aside, saying, “I’m just worried about one team, not every other team.”
Ryan added that Edwards “is a smart guy. He learns quickly. We’ll see how much he can help us.”

Ryan also said that Tim Tebow will be the backup quarterback for Monday’s game, although he added that because of his still-mending fractured ribs, Ryan doesn’t plan on using him as a punt protector or in the Wildcat.
That could mean that third QB Greg McElroy again will be inactive, although Ryan suggested he could have all three signalcallers active.
“I feel better about Tim in that role” of backup quarterback, Ryan said. “I feel he gives us the best opportunity” to win.
He admitted that in “the last few weeks [Tebow’s] role has been diminished some, and I don’t think he’s happy about it.” But he added he still believes Tebow is happy to be a Jet.

About

J.P. PELZMAN joined The Record in April 1998. He began his career at the Ocean County Observer in Toms River, where he spent one year before leaving for Newsday on Long Island. At The Record, he was the primary backup on the New York Jets’ beat for nine seasons, from 1998-2006, before becoming the beat writer in 2007. Pelzman also has been The Record’s beat writer for Seton Hall men’s basketball since the 2002-03 season.